


Sacrifices

by allxthexwords



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst, F/M, The Arrival DLC, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-25
Updated: 2012-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-22 10:23:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/608798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allxthexwords/pseuds/allxthexwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alone in her confinement, Shepard reflects on her recent actions and the sacrifices she has had to make for the greater good.</p>
<p>Spoilers for The Arrival DLC - 740 words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifices

She hated being here, locked in a form of house arrest at the Alliance Headquarters in downtown Vancouver. She had been cut off from the rest of the world when she had turned herself in, after the destruction of the Bahak System when she crashed an asteroid into their mass relay. The resulting explosion had not only brought about the end of the relay, but the whole system itself had been caught up in the flames. Over three hundred thousand Batarians were dead because of her. Their unwilling sacrifice had bought the rest of the galaxy some time before the Reapers arrived and began their quest of harvesting all organic life from the universe once again.

On Virmire, Sovereign had told her that the cycle could not be broken, that their extinction was inevitable. But she had managed to defeat the first Reaper she had come into contact with, she had managed to defeat the Collectors and the Human-Reaper they had been in the process of birthing, as well as delayed the Reapers’ arrival. She was doing her best to break the cycle, to stop the Reapers from fulfilling their purpose. 

Lately, Commander Rentola’s words had been running through her mind as she paced the floor of her confinement. 

_But there may come a day when so many have been sacrificed, it will be impossible to tell who won._

She was a soldier; she was used to being put into life and death situations practically daily. Losing people was a part of the job, granted it was a part that she hated, but it was a simple fact that not everyone would make it out alive. She had accepted this fact long ago, come to terms with it, and had been able to move past and do what needed to be done. But she had directly caused the deaths of over three hundred thousand people. An entire system was wiped from the universe because of her actions, and hers alone. It weighed heavily on her mind. Over three hundred thousand lives had been cut short, and she had done it willingly. It was the only way to keep the Reapers at bay for now.

But what about those people she had killed? Would the children have grown up to be artists, and paint the masterpieces of this generation? Would they have been scientists, and found cures for diseases that were untreatable currently? Would couples have gotten married, had families of their own? 

She had killed in battle before, but this was different. 

The only small amount of solace she received were the sporadic letters passed on to her from Tannor Nuara, the cover name that Thane had chosen for himself. 

She hadn’t told him of the mission she had been sent to do, she hadn’t told anyone. She hadn’t wanted him to get caught up in the crossfire once everything was said and done. She had booked passage on another ship to reach the system and do her job. Once the news broke, and she was forced to hand herself over, Thane had obviously been able to put two and two together. 

The Council was out for blood, hers, after all the blood she had spilled.

But what caused her more grief at the end of the day was the fact that she was locked up in Vancouver while Thane was beginning to waste away in a hospital bed. She felt terrible about what had happened; that the Batarians were nearly extinct now because of her actions. But the thought that she would never even get to say goodbye to Thane was the one that hurt her heart the most.

He had become the reason why she fought. She had fought for their time together, to keep him by her side as long as possible. She had fought to defeat the Collectors so they could go on a vacation together, so Thane could see a desert. They never did get to go; duty called, and she had answered. She always answered, because it seemed no one else would.

Shepard was a soldier first; her mind knew this through and through. However, getting her heart to agree to this fact was another matter entirely. Soldiers made sacrifices for the greater good, but she didn’t want to have to sacrifice her love. 

She held onto the letters, and waited anxiously for the day she could find him by her side once more.


End file.
